Trainwreck At Sons of Hermann Hall By Dave and Lavona Wine

	When you walk into The Sons of Hermann Hall you instantly feel the history. Pictures of current and past legends adorn the walls of the downstairs bar. Artists like The Dixie Chicks, Charlie Robison, Pat Green, Guy Clark, Slaid Cleaves, Robert Earl Keen, and so many more. When a new band plays at The Sons, I am sure the same pictures haunt the minds of those getting ready to play- wondering if they too might be pictured among these "stars" someday. I'm confident that it won't be long before Trainwreck's photo will be on the wall of fame at The Sons of Hermann Hall as a success story. When a band is less than one year old you would normally expect to hear mostly cover tunes and maybe just an original or two. That was definitetly not the case with Trainwreck. All of the songs they performed Friday were originals except for one, which was probably selected to highlight the beautifully strong voice of Jean Albritton. JD Whittenburg, lead guitarist and vocalist, wrote all of the other songs over the past few years with some with some help from other band members. JD's song writing skills are superb. His ability to draw you into his music is magic. His voice is one that reminds you of the old Springsteen- a voice which could captivate you for hours. It won't be long until songs like" No Place To Go", "Goodbye Grace", and "Who Needs California", will be familiar to music listeners across Texas. Trainwreck has developed a sound that is uniquely their own . The blending of all their talents was evident from the first song they played. The rhythm section, drummer Jim Eisenbeck and bass guitarist, Allen Cyer, were superb. The mandolin and fiddler player, Rob Stave, ties the sound together giving the music that down home Texas feel. Their sound, although very difficult to categorize, is what I like to call Texas Renegade Country Music. It has taken not only Texas by storm, but is turning heads in Nashville as well. It is music that is written from the writer's experiences and you feel their souls in every lyric. These are songs we can all relate to, and some we just wish we could have experienced with them. It is music that even hard-core rockers can get into and stomp their feet to the beat. It is definitely not a Nashville sound and would make any Texan proud. I was hoping for each musician to break off into a solo that would have showcased each of their talents, but it didn't happen, and after talking with the band, I now understand why. They are one unit and not a group of individualists trying to succeed on their own accord. They are obviously focused on the same plan. They have developed music that describes them. They are a group of musicians playing with their hearts, sharing their life experiences, for all of us to enjoy. The only disappointment that evening was the sparse crowd at the Sons. I had expected that the headliners, Drive By Truckers, would have brought out a larger crowd. I know that I wasn't alone in that feeling. The few who were there seemed to really enjoy the show. Lots of smiling faces and foot tapping. Lack of listeners didn't stop Trainwreck from performing as if there was a full house of faithful fans. I know the ones that were in attendance are now Trainwreck fans, judging by the warm response they received from the crowd. Trainwreck is definitely worth your entertainment dollars. I'll be catching them often and picking up their new CD to be released in June. You can find the a list of their gigs at www.trainwrecktx.com. Wake up Texas and wake up Dallas to this up and coming Texas Band.

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